Hey, how about a slice of rock with a side of funk for your Second Breakfast Written and Photographed by John Menke

If you are a new band, just coming out of college, it’s not easy to find gigs in New York. It’s hard enough to just get your friends and acquaintances to listen to your sound. But in New York, there are literally dozens of clubs that cater to new bands, giving them a chance to showcase their music during the slower weeknights. So a band with a nice sound, good press and a promotional package could conceivably get a gig every other week. And with a little work, they can continue playing at these random spots, hoping (and praying) that they develop a following or some big-shot stumbles upon their performance.

Enter Second Breakfast, a band composed of five soon-to-be college juniors and seniors from Connecticut and New Jersey. After spending the last two school-years touring Northeast colleges and playing to increasingly larger crowds, they’ve brought their sound to New York so they can throw their collective cards on the table.

They started small, playing short sets at many of these “New Band Night” gigs in Greenwich Village. “We just wanted to be heard and (have the opportunity) to play for our friends living in the NYC area,” explained lead singer and guitarist, Eric Davich, “and we were overwhelmed at the response and help we’ve gotten from our fans.” Not many bands in New York can claim to bring fifty people to a bar on a weeknight. This band can.

Their success has led to a change in their performance schedule. In just over a month, the band has grown from being the background noise for the Tuesday and Wednesday night drinking crowds, into a legit Saturday night headliner.

One reason for this is their unorthodox approach to self-marketing. The band members keep in close touch with their high-school and college friends. Although the group was formed only two years ago, they have managed to use their network of acquaintances to develop a successful word-of-mouth campaign, allowing them to gain a popular following. Friends who are fans bring their friends – who in turn become fans (and possibly even friends as well). This has translated into a constantly changing and growing base of Second Breakfast enthusiasts.

Beyond the business of the band, the most distinct reason for their success is quite simply their music. With an eclectic style that is said to be “a mix of Pop, Rock, Funk, R&B, Folk, Jazz, and even Classical,” the band manages to please a large spectrum of musical tastes – from the most discerning and astute students of music to pop fans to funk and classic rock lovers.

For those who love the high energy of live performers, Second Breakfast certainly does not disappoint – they’re absolutely electric from start to finish. The crowd favorite is often the band’s highly unusual and rousing medley in which they seamlessly transition from Janis Joplin’s “Take Another Little Piece of My Heart” into R. Kelly’s “Ignition Remix” and back again. One moment, the band members are belting out Joplin’s chorus, and the next, the keyboardist moves to center stage to rap Kelly’s verse, asking the audience to supply the song’s “Hoo-Hoo’s.”

In general, their cover songs have a quality that makes the foreign becomes familiar, and likewise the familiar is made foreign. In a time where cover bands are about as common as Ben Affleck’s love interests are named Jennifer, Second Breakfast manages to stand out.

But make no mistake about it, the band’s repertoire includes a plethora of original compositions - all varying in flavor, style and tempo. From the call and response style reminiscent of “Summer Loving” from Grease of the group’s, “I'm Afraid to Talk to You,” to the retro-funk “Snood,” to the comfortably familiar, yet entirely original sounding ballad, “It’s All Right,” Second Breakfast brings something for everyone.

With three big shows coming in the next couple of weeks, the future looks bright for these young musicians.

For more information about Second Breakfast or to listen to samples of their music, check out their website www.2ndbreakfast.com. Their self-titled album, Second Breakfast, can be purchased at cdbaby.com.